ENGLISH
REFERENCE

personal

n.
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈpɝsɪnəɫ// UK //pˈɜːsənəl// per·son·al General-service Humorous

n. belonging to or relating to one specific person rather than a group. You use this to talk about your own private feelings, belongings, or experiences.

n. relating to, or belonging to a particular individual; concerning a person's private life, relationships, or emotions rather than their professional or public persona.


SIMPLE

I have a few personal items in my desk.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager asked the employee to avoid making personal phone calls during busy office hours.

COMPLEX

While the biography covers his political achievements in detail, it offers very little insight into his personal life or his relationships with his siblings.

Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English personal, personele, from Anglo-Norman personel, personal, personell, Old French personal, personel, from Late Latin persōnālis (“of a person, personly”), equivalent to person + -al. Doublet of personnel.

Usage

Typically placed before the noun it modifies. When used to describe an insult or comment, it implies the remark was an attack on someone's character.

Pitfall

It is my personal opinionIt is my opinionWhile common in speech, 'personal opinion' is often considered a tautology in formal writing because an opinion is inherently personal.

Idioms1 entry

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